Topic: Who saved Apollo 13?

[Nemesis]

Link to full article

All the engineers and everybody else at NASA in Houston were working hard at recovering the moonshot, and they were in real trouble, weren’t sure they could get it back. They got a phone call from a grad student at MIT who said he knew how to get them back. They put engineers on it, tested it out, by God it worked. Slingshotting them around the moon. They successfully did. They wanted to present the grad student to the President and the public, but they found him and he was a real hippy type — long hair and facial hair. NASA was straight-laced, and this was different than they expected, so they withdrew the invitation to the student. I think that is a disgrace.

[Javora]

I wouldn't care if he or she was 3 feet tall, had purple scales, a tail, and a horn growing out of the forehead.  If I was on that flight I'd be grateful for saving my life.  What NASA did was totally disgraceful and someone from that organization or the white house should honor his service ASAP.
 

[TAnimaL]

meh, this sounds like an urban myth starting, IMO. Rather sketchy info, possible unverifiable, lots of confirmation bias at work...

As someone else on reddit pointed out, these were rocket scientists after all, they were well aware of the physics of free-return trajectories. I'm going to carry a big grain of salt around this one.

[knightstorm]

meh, this sounds like an urban myth starting, IMO. Rather sketchy info, possible unverifiable, lots of confirmation bias at work...

As someone else on reddit pointed out, these were rocket scientists after all, they were well aware of the physics of free-return trajectories. I'm going to carry a big grain of salt around this one.

That's kind of what I was thinking.  Also, its not like they couldn't have given him a haircut before they put him in front of a camera.

[Kreeargh]

meh, this sounds like an urban myth starting, IMO. Rather sketchy info, possible unverifiable, lots of confirmation bias at work...

As someone else on reddit pointed out, these were after all,rocket scientists  they were well aware of the physics of free-return trajectories. I'm going to carry a big grain of salt around this one.

That's kind of what I was thinking.  Also, its not like they couldn't have given him a haircut before they put him in front of a camera.

Wow a haircut and hippie thats the bias on the theme ? The old man would he need to lie he is a hippie !   these were after all,rocket scientists  they were well aware of the physics of free-return trajectories.  If so why was that not the first problem fix?  Please do tell the truth or will the goverment tell ANY truth? Proof please post it as true!!!!!

[Brush Wolf]

It wasn't the free return which the NASA engineers were well informed about. The problem with Apollo 13 was keeping the men alive to get home.

[Kreeargh]

It wasn't the free return which the NASA engineers were well informed about. The problem with Apollo 13 was keeping the men alive to get home.

    If anything a hippy  knows how to use ducttape !   

My question why is this an issue now ? 

Is this a  effort for obama fans or just a waist of time looking at facts?

[knightstorm]

I think the most likely explanation is that the guy's grandson misquoted him.  Another possible explanation might be the fact that at this point NASA was already beginning to lay people off.  He might have lost his job and is trying to make his former employers look bad.  I don't think that's likely since this was over 40 years ago, and they're probably all dead.

[Kreeargh]

I think the most likely explanation is that the guy's grandson misquoted him.  Another possible explanation might be the fact that at this point NASA was already beginning to lay people off.  He might have lost his job and is trying to make his former employers look bad.  I don't think that's likely since this was over 40 years ago, and they're probably all dead.

Or possably not understanding what his grandfather was talking about? 

[Nemesis]

I think that some people are forgetting the level of distrust and bigotry towards Hippys in those days.  I find it easily believable that the "Establishment" didn't want to do anything to give credibility to them such as credit for saving Apollo 13.

[knightstorm]

And you don't seem to understand that it seems odd to me that NASA scientists needed a grad student to suggest a solution which seems so obvious.

[Brush Wolf]

As was mentioned earlier in this thread it feels very much like an urban myth and without better sources it should be treated as such.

[Nemesis]

Obvious 40 years later when it has already been done.  But then when orbit over the Earth was barely a decade old and orbits between 2 bodies even newer?  Computers were expensive and calculating possible orbits slow and expensive compared to today's computers which could likely do a simulation in seconds (or maybe less than 1 second). 

As I understand it their preplanned "aborts" didn't cover the situation and  had to be altered.  Not being able to use the Service Modules engine was also a major factor as they were not sure the module would hold together.

I consider it possible.  Often experts can be too close to things to see the obvious and you need someone outside to see past the assumptions. 

[Nemesis]

As was mentioned earlier in this thread it feels very much like an urban myth and without better sources it should be treated as such.

The one thing that inclines me that way is the lack of the name of the person interviewed, just his age and the job he held earlier.  The MIT "Hippy" making the suggestion is less an issue to me.

[Brush Wolf]

As was mentioned earlier in this thread it feels very much like an urban myth and without better sources it should be treated as such.

The one thing that inclines me that way is the lack of the name of the person interviewed, just his age and the job he held earlier.  The MIT "Hippy" making the suggestion is less an issue to me.

The Hippy part doesn't bother me. It is the lack of any name which makes this sound like one of those "heard it from a friend of a friends friend" stories.

[knightstorm]

Obvious 40 years later when it has already been done.  But then when orbit over the Earth was barely a decade old and orbits between 2 bodies even newer?  Computers were expensive and calculating possible orbits slow and expensive compared to today's computers which could likely do a simulation in seconds (or maybe less than 1 second). 

As I understand it their preplanned "aborts" didn't cover the situation and  had to be altered.  Not being able to use the Service Modules engine was also a major factor as they were not sure the module would hold together.

I consider it possible.  Often experts can be too close to things to see the obvious and you need someone outside to see past the assumptions.

Considering the fact that the Voyager missions were already being planned at this point, I think it was fairly obvious to them that they could do it.

[TAnimaL]

Here, here, Knightstorm, well put. The physics involved in the moon landings is pure Newtonian; while complex, it can be done witha  piece of paper or a slide rule. The "Straw man" argument that "computers were too slow/bulky/expensive back then" is often used by Moon Hoaxers and completely insults the mathematicians and engineers back then who got the job done by being smart.

[knightstorm]

Besides, you'd be surprised how fast a computer does things when its not hobbled by the latest version of windows.

[Tus-XC]

Obvious 40 years later when it has already been done.  But then when orbit over the Earth was barely a decade old and orbits between 2 bodies even newer?  Computers were expensive and calculating possible orbits slow and expensive compared to today's computers which could likely do a simulation in seconds (or maybe less than 1 second). 

As I understand it their preplanned "aborts" didn't cover the situation and  had to be altered.  Not being able to use the Service Modules engine was also a major factor as they were not sure the module would hold together.

I consider it possible.  Often experts can be too close to things to see the obvious and you need someone outside to see past the assumptions.

Firstly, the math to do it has been around for over 500 years .  Secondly, the math is long and iterative, but realtively straightforward.  And finally, the free return was designed into their transfer orbit (as with apollo 8, 10, and 11) to start with, it was the final safety net if something went wrong mid flight.  Granted, the 12 and all other missions used a hybrid version of this, but they always had the option to utilize it .  The reason the others didn't do it and did the burn to insert themselves into their parking orbit is because nothing went wrong.  Had they not done the required retro burn though and done the neccesary course corrections (delta V changes) they would have gone straight back to earth.  And btw, if the free return wasn't taken into account in their transfer orbit, then it would require orbital corrections, possibly substantial ones - it just does not happen that its trajectory is also a free return, it is made to be one.

[Kreeargh]

and to end this story ? Who saved apollo13?  Please do tell the truth!